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Author Notes:Among the most elegant and sophisticated of the Turkish olive oil dishes, Zeytinyağlı Enginar -- a gorgeous, completely vegan side dish made of whole artichoke bottoms cooked in olive oil, filled with delicate bites of carrot, potato, onion, and peas, and garnished with plenty of fresh dill -- charms the eyes as well as the taste buds. This is one of my lovely mother-in-law Güler's signature dishes, and I can only try to do justice to it, as among her many other gifts and talents, she is an artistic and fearless cook! —Mandy Bora

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Serves 6

1
14 ounce bag of frozen artichoke bottoms

2
Carrots

2
Waxy Potatoes

1
White Onion

1/2
cup Fresh or Frozen Peas (thawed)

1/2
cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

pinches Sugar

1
teaspoon Salt

2
tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

1/2
cup Fresh Dill (chopped)

Defrost artichokes and blot away any wetness with clean paper towels.

Peel and dice carrots and potatoes (measuring about 1 cup each). I like an angular dice that is uniform in size and visually attractive.

Peel and slice onion into thin, vertical slices.

Pour olive oil into a shallow pot and sauté the onion for a few minutes until the onion just gets soft. Then add the carrots and continue to sauté for a few minutes longer. Next add in the potatoes and peas, along with sugar and salt, and very gently combine the ingredients.

Carefully insert the artichokes (bottom down) in between the other vegetables and add lemon juice. Pour 1 cup of boiling hot water over the vegetables and let everything cook together on medium heat for about 10 minutes, and then cover the pot and reduce the heat to simmer.

Allow everything to simmer for 45 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the artichokes are fork tender, and then turn off the heat and let everything rest in the pot until it comes to room temperature.

Finally, adjust the seasonings, arrange the artichokes on a serving dish, fill with the cooked vegetables (allowing some to spill over onto the serving dish, and garnish with chopped fresh dill.